Rene: After all the data points regarding the bigger size, here's one vote for going smaller. I understand Riv's sizing system and philosophy, but chose to go a size down from their recommendation on my Atlantis (58 cm vs 61 cm). Coming up on 7 happy years of riding, I've never given it a second thought. There's actually some overlap on PBHs and frame sizes. If possible, see if they have a 56 cm you can try on for size before going to the effort of completely changing. Bikes can always be made a bit larger (within reason!) but they are tough to shrink.
dougP On Dec 17, 9:08 pm, Rene Sterental <orthie...@gmail.com> wrote: > My 60cm Bombadil is finally finished (had too much work and family related > stuff these last two weeks). I will post pictures tomorrow. However, as soon > as I straddled it while building it, I realized I had significantly less > standover clearance than I do on my 61cm Homer. I can still lift both wheels > what appears to be around 1 inch, haven't really measured, but when I stand > over the bike with both feet on the ground, I can feel the top tube way up > "there". The bike is currently built with Specialized El Capitan Control 2.2 > front/2.0 rear tires for a full MTB experience. > > Since it was raining during the weekend and I was swamped with work and > family, I was only able to take it out for a ride on Tuesday's commute to > work via bike and Caltrain. I rode it for a total of around 8 miles split up > in four legs. I'll post more details when I have more time, but my concerns > with the standover clearance persisted, so I e-mailed Mark @ Rivendell and > spoke with Keven today. They both feel that based on my measured PBH, the > 60cm Bombadil frame is the right size, but if I feel it's too big, they will > set me up with a new 56cm frame. It's great to know that they will stand by > me and take care of my in this situation. > > Today I commuted with the Homer, and even though barely a month and a half > ago it seemed like a huge frame (my conversion to the Rivendell fit > philosophy), compared to the Bombadil I felt I had lots of clearance and of > course, they both handle different. > > I'm taking the Bombadil to Rivendell tomorrow so Mark and Keven can check my > fit and together, we can decide if it is indeed the right size for me, or if > I'll fit best on the 56cm. Standover height on the Bombadil 60 is about 2 cm > higher than on the Homer 61. Everyone agrees that you probably need a little > more clearance on a mountain bike than on a road bike, but what is really > the minimum clearance? > > Anyway, I'll update the group on the decision we take tomorrow and will > submit photos of the complete bike. Going to a 56 frame will mean another > wait for it to be painted (minor annoyance), but also a new wheelset from > Rich, new tires, and no exchanging wheels between the Homer and the > Bombadil. > > What is the feeling regarding standover clearance and minimum clearance? > > René > > PS.- The fender question is now on hold until the frame size issue is > cleared... -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To post to this group, send email to rbw-owners-bu...@googlegroups.com. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch?hl=en.
